Program-clock.



v c. 0. HEON.

PROGRAM CLOCK.

- APPLICATION men JAN-28, 1913.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

CHARLES O.' HEON, OF POR'IAGE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO HEON REMINDER.GLOCk COMPANY, INC., OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATIONOF'WISCONSIN.

PROGRAM-CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES O. HEON, citizenof the United States, residing at Portage, in the county of Columbia andState of \Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Program- Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in clocks and moreparticularly to time clocks or time reminders or as they are morecommonly called program clocks and the object of my invention is toprovide a clock so arranged that it may be adjusted to signal anoperator at certain predetermined times for denoting certain things tobe done at those times.

A further object of my invention is to so arrange the mechanism foraccomplishing this that the device will be able to be set to give asignal not only upon the hours, half hours and quarter hours as is nowthe custom, but at five minute intervals, that is on the hour, 5minutespast the hour, 10 minutes past the hour or 15 minutes past thehour, as desired.

A further object of my invention is to accomplish this without the useof the detachable plugs now commonly employed in closing the circuit inclocks of this type. And a still further object of my invention is toprovide a plurality of rotatable contact members, each of which may beturned to any one of a number of positions in such a manner that eachmember may be employed as a circuit closer to give the signal-at any oneof a number of times. For instance, the contact member which would benormally employed in closing the circuit to give a signal at 1 oclockWlll be so constructed that by proper adjustment it may be employed toclose the circuit to give the si al at either 5 minutes of one, one or 5mlnutes past 1, as preferred.

-With these .and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and

then specifically pointed out in the claimswhich are attached to andform a part of this application.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is an elevational view of the clock timeshowing my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a ragmentary detailelevation, showing one of the rota- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1915.

Application filed January 28, 1918.- Serial No. 744,711.

table contacts and the spring by means of wh ch it is held in adjustedposition, the var ous phases of adjustment of the contact being shown-indotted lines.

Corresponding and like parts are referred a minute hand 22 and an hourhand 23.

Attached to the arbor of the hour hand, is a fiber disk 24-and asteelspring 25 bears by one end against this disk to hold the hour hand intrain with the clock movement at all. times, the opposite end of thespring being secured to an adjacent part of the clock movement by ascrew 26. As will be later explained, the hour hand 23 forms the movablecontact member of the signaling circuit and is therefore subject toslight. strain when the circuit is closed and it is for this reason thatI have provided the fiber disk and spring 25. Otherwise the clock is ofconventional type.

Secured to theclock casing and encircling the dial of the clock, is acontact carrying ring 27 formed of any suitable current conductingmaterial, preferably brass. A plurality of pairs of spaced eyes 28 arecarried by this ring, the eyes of each pair being in radial alinementwith each other with respect to the clock dial and each pair of eyesbeing spaced an equal distance from the eyes of adjacent pairs. One,pair of eyes is positioned in alinement with each of the hour divisionsof the dial and three other pairs of eyes are equally spaced between thepairs of eyes of adjacent hour divisions in such. a manner that on thehour, half hour and quarter hour, the hour hand of the clock will alwaysbe pointing directly toward one pair of eyes.

Rotatably mounted in each pair of alined eyes are contact members,indicated as a. whole by the numeral 29. These members are formed ofcurrent conducting metal, preferably brass and are provided at theirinner ends with laterally directed contact terminals 30 each of which isprovided at its free end with a slightly overhanging shoulder 31 Theopposite ends of the contact members 29 are provided with laterally 1bers 29 against which the ends of the springs longitudinally extendingflattened faces 35' so arranged that each contact member29- 33 bear areprovided with a plurality of may be turned in either direction to bring.its terminal into a plane parallel with the clock dial or into a planeat right angles to the clock dial. Furthermore, the faces are soarranged that the member 29 may be turned in either direction to bringits contact terminal into a plane at 45 degrees to the clock dial andwhen turned in any one of the above positions, the co-acting spring.will bear flatly against one of its angular faces to hold the sameagainst turning.

The hour hand 23 carries an extremely flexible resilient contact 36which extends will pass over the same without touching beyond the freeend of the hand and in alinement with the hand and the free end of whichis flattened or otherwise shaped to engage against the contact terminals30 of whatever contact members may be adjusted to raise the terminalsfrom a plane parallel to the plane of the clock dial.

The contact ring 27 is provided with a binding post 37 while someportion of the clock movement is provided with a similar binding post38. A wire 39 leads from the binding post 38 to a battery or. othersuitable source of ener 40, while a wire 41 leads from the binding post37 to one binding post of a bell or other electric signaling device 42.A wire 43 connects the other binding ,post, or signaling device 42 withthe free pole ofthe battery 40. Inasmuch as the Wire 39 and hour hand 23are both in electrical connection with the movement of the clock, itwill be apparent that whenever the contact member 36 of the hour handengages one of the rotatable contact members 29, the circuit through thebell 42 will be closed and the signal sounded.

In order to protect the rotatable contact members from displacement andalso from dust and dirt, I preferably provide an annular casing 44 whichfits over the contact ring 27 and the intermediate portions of thecontact members 29 and which preferably carries the glass face of theclock. By this means, the inner orfcontact terminals 1, se,eo2

gaged by the hour hand 5 minutes before the hour and if turned in theopposite direction to extend at an angle of 45 degrees from the hourhand, it will be engaged 5 minutes after the hour. It will therefore beapparent that the contact member at-each hour division of the clock maybe adjusted to give the signal either at the hour or 5 minutes before orafter the hour, as desired. In like manner the contact members arrangedto give the signal at thehalf hour and quarter hour positions of thehour hand may be adjusted to give the signal 5 minutes earlier-or later,as preferred.

Under normal conditions, all of the contact members occupy the positionshown in Fig, 1 of the drawings in which the contact terminals of themembers 29 lie parallel with thefdial face of the clock in such a mannerthat the contact 36 carried by the hour hand them and consequentlywithout giving any signal. The projecting ends of the contact members 29having lateral operating arms I 32 provide a ready means for swingingthe the springs holding. the contact members in adjusted position are soarranged that each spring serves as a lock for two contact memhers, thusgreatly decreasing the expenseof manufacture of the signaling device.

It will of course be understood however, that I do not wish to limitmyself to the specific details of construction illustrated and describedas various changes may at any time be made without in the slightestdegree departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described claimed as new is:

-1. A signal device to cotiperate with an my invention, what isindicator having ahand, including a plurality of electrically connectedspaced contacts movable into and out of operative position forengagement by the hand during movement of the latter and each movableinto position to be engaged by the hand I reached any one of suchpredetermined positact ring, and a plurality tions. V

2. A signal device to coiiperate with an indicator having a hand,including a con' of spaced contacts carrled by the ring and and out'ofposition to be engaged by hand during movement of the latter, each ofthe contacts including a radially extending body member mounted to turnabout its. longitudinal. axis and provided at its inner end with alaterally directed contact terminal.

3. A signal device to cooperate with an indicator having a hand,including a conof contact members tact ring, a plurality positioned inspaced relation about the ring and extendingradially with respectthereto, the inner ends of said contact members having laterally bentcontact forming terminals,

and the outerends of said contact members having laterally bentoperating arms, said contact members being mounted for turn-.

ing movement about their longitudinal axes.

4. A signal device adapted for attachment to an indicator having a hand,including a contact ring positioned in the path of movement of the hand,a plurality of eyes arranged in radially alined pairs upon the ring,each pair of eyes being spaced from adjacent pairs, a contact memberrevolubly mounted in each pair of eyesand provided at its inner end witha contactterminal for engagementwith the indicator hand and intermediateits length with angularly formed faces, and meansfor holding saidcontact members in adjusted position.

the adjacent pair,

movable into the 5. A signal device adapted to cooperate Withanindicator having a movable hand, including a contact ring, a pluralityof eyes arranged in radially alined pairs upon the ring, each pair ofeyes being spaced from a contact member rotatably mounted meach pair ofeyes and provided at its inner end with a contact terminal forengagement with the indicator hand and intermediate its length withangularly formed faces, and leaf springs secured intermediate theirlength between adjacent contactmembers and bearingby their free endsuponthe angular faces of such contact members to hold them in adjustedposition.

6. A signal device including a contact carrying member adapted to beincluded in circuit with thehand of an indicator, a plurality' withlaterally directed terminals movable into and out of the path of thehand b rotation of the contacts about their longitudinal axes, and leafsprings secured to the contact carrying member and engaging theintermediate portions of the contacts to frictionally hold them againstturning 7 A time reminder including a clock having an hour hand, aconcentricall located contact ring, and a plurality 0 contact members inengageme their longitudinal axes extending radially pt therewith with ofcontacts carried by such member of the ring, each bein gimovable intoand Fnnnnnrcx Runxnn,

Cmnms S. Pinon;

